


The Hearts

by MadameRose



Category: The Hearts - Fandom
Genre: Fiction, Mentions of War, Monsters, Short Story, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameRose/pseuds/MadameRose
Summary: Two friends set out on a journey to save their family and their friends. Though, the journey is not all it seems, and its ending, well . . .





	The Hearts

The wind roared. It pushed against her, a front of burning cold that iced her lungs. Her heart was pounding - a persistent thumping in her ears. Each thump acted as a count for the passing seconds. A harsh, a grim reminder that they were running out of time. That's right. Time. Camellia's gaze shot up towards the sky, an echo of a plea whispering within the depths of her mind. Even with the canopy of gnarly branches above, she could see, could tell that the sky was a dark, deep blue. 

"Cami."

The grey wolf turned her head to look at her companion. ". . . What?" She eventually asked, returning her gaze to the upcoming terrain. Camellia was determined to not slow, not for even a second.

_ Thump. _

"Ah . . . nothing. Or, well, not nothing. Are you. Well. Are you . . . alright?" Jess asked, his soft amber eyes blinking warily but with concern. Just a few months ago, the two of them had stepped out into the world with the threat of war looming at their heels. Now, the war was almost here, and their time. Well, their time was running out, and running out fast.

"I'm . . ." Camellia trailed off, uncertain. "Jess, to be honest, I'm not sure. Just, what if this is for nothing? We spent months crossing forests, mountains, revealing the fur on our backs to a blistering desert sun. For, what, to learn that the weapon we were searching after is a- is some kind of beast? One, that until recently, we'd never heard of. We could just be on a chase, for nothing. Even if this beast does exist, what's to say that it'll actually help us? For all we know, we could end up being dinner."

The small male rolled his eyes, not in an intention to be offensive, but just in disbelief at his friend's thoughts. "I'm sure, if this beast does exist, we won't be dinner. Really, if it ate the creatures it came across, how could there be an existing tale on it?"

"Who knows, maybe the beast wrote the tale itself?"

_ Thump.  _

"Cami, you know, you sometimes really are dramatic. I'm sure the beast didn't you know, travel across who knows where to carve out its tale in some old rocks." With a small shake of his head, Jess tore across the ground, coming close enough to brush his shoulder against the larger female's. "Listen, it will be okay."

"Sure, you say that. Who is to say we'll even reach the beast before dawn?" Camellia shot back, glancing once more at the sky, grey eyes taking in what she could of the blue expanse through the further clustering trees. She turned her head, taking a quick glance at her brown-furred friend in expectancy of an answer.

Jess let out a huff then. "Okay, now you're just making this conversation difficult. We'll do this, before dawn. Just, keep your eyes ahead. If what we saw was true, the beast resides further within this mountain, where the trees are thicker. Which, compared to earlier, they've definitely multiplied. Since the beast is apparently quite large, and lives within the trees, we can probably expect to see claw marks or even a number of trees that have fallen over."

Camellia took a deep breath, one as deep as she could in this moment of running and cold wind, and proceeded to focus her mind on what was ahead. 

As a result, silence filled between the two. The only sounds were that of the crunching snow beneath their paws, the rattling of breath in their lungs, the trees that creaked and screamed with the whistling wind. As the sky was changing, the terrain only began to become more tedious. Large, vicious roots awaited in the snow. The trees, while thin, continued to become more plentiful. Then, lastly, the wind only grew stronger - it blew snow into their faces, bit through their fur and at their skin, and sunk the cold right into their bones.

_ Thump. _

"Jess-" Camellia began, her voice shaking. This, it was too much. Her body, though strong, was beginning to feel a kind of heavy that she'd never experienced before. There was so much numbness, so much tingling. The only other feeling despite those discomforts was the pain radiating from spots that were much too tender. 

"Cami, look!" Jess exclaimed, a higher note coming to his voice at the same time his paws slid to a halt and caused snow to bury itself between the pads of his toes. "Do you see that?" Only a little ahead, off to their right, a few trees lay toppled. The branches crushed and scarred, the trunks snapped in such a way that the wind couldn't be blamed as a culprit.

Camellia managed to come to a halt steps after Jess, the fur along her spine rising to the best of its ability as she took in the sight before them. Despite being weighed down with cold, a new chill ran through her spine, one that the lack of heat could not be at fault for. "Jess . . ." She stopped talking in shock, a few steps forward allowing her to see the deep, brutal cuts that made themselves at home within the fallen trees.

_ Thump. _

Suddenly, she looked up, her heart dropping. But, in the standing trees above there was nothing. "Well, guess we should-" She tore backwards with a yelp, a tree slamming down only a few steps in front of her. The crack resonated in her ears, chest aching with terror as she turned her head to look for the cause. It was then that fear crawled into the depths of her bones, rendering her unable to move as two large glowing eyes stared right back at her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jess crouch and heard a distant growl. One, while weak, had clearly come from his throat. It hit her then that this . . . this was real.

She continued to stare, unable to pull her gaze away. In the echoes of her mind, she heard it. Thumping. Not that of her own heart, but of something else. It wasn't just a few thumps, it was many coming from the beast. All with varying volumes. Finally, at the call of her name from Jess, did she take a step back. "You . . . you're the one. The beast that resides in this mountain. The thought-to-be weapon, an ender of wars."

The beast said nothing for a few moments, pressing forward its weight onto the trees it grappled, causing them to creak. Before, finally, it opened its mouth and revealed a glowing throat behind a row of sharp teeth. "Yes, little one, that is me. You and your friend . . . you have made it. Tell me, what is it you want?"

Camellia blinked, confusion now filling her stormy eyes. The creature was just . . . going to ask? "We . . . my name is Camellia. This is Jess. We come from a pack far south from here but our pack is about to face an enemy that it cannot win against. The other packs around us, they've been plotting, and it's at dawn that they will attack. We want you to help us win this fight."

With a small hum, the creature reared above them. "As you have made the journey, little ones, I'll help you. But, dears, not without a price. Tell me, do you believe in destiny? Maybe? Tell you what, grey one, can you hear them?"

"The thumping?"

"Yes, the thumping. You see, your friend here cannot. Do you know why this is?" The beast asked, tilting its head almost mockingly.

"I . . . I don't know." Camellia answered, a sense of dread filling her heart.

"Because dear, you were chosen, just like the others. You see, my kind has certain . . . conditions. A heart such as yours, well . . . it could have me last centuries." 

"Hearts. The thumping. That's what it's coming from." With that realization, her body began to tremble. Of course there was to be a price, but this? This was it?

"Don't do it, Camellia!" Jess shouted from behind her. "It's not worth it. We'll find another way."

Camellia looked up past the beast, up at the lightening sky. She, no, they. They'd gone so far, traveled for so long, and she wasn't going to let it be for nothing. Her friends, her family.

"Huh . . . you really are a beast. Tell me, what's your name, truly?"

The beast almost seemed to smile, staring down at Camellia with interest. "My name . . ."

_ Upon top of a hill looking over golden plains, a brown wolf stood. To his right, far in the distance, a pack of wolves howled with joyous voices. The surrounding terrains, which had once belonged to others, were now vacant. It was as if their enemy had disappeared overnight. How? Well, who can really say? _

_ Slowly, the wolf turned around and just as the sun fully peeked over the horizon, he vanished into the trees.  _

_ Thump. _


End file.
